These Side Dishes for Tacos Are Ready For You to Build a Restaurant-Style Menu

Mexican Green Rice

White and red rice are great as side dishes for tacos. But if we had to choose just one grain to go with a Tex-Mex menu, it would be this vibrant creation that’s infused with garlic, onion, broth, spicy salsa verde, and fresh cilantro. The flecks of green will lure everyone in, while the zesty flavor might just inspire you to scoop up seconds.

Cuban-Style Orange-Scented Black Beans

Oranges, tomato paste, and garlic might sound like a very odd combo, but trust the process…and trust bean expert and cookbook author Joe Yonan. That’s who generously taught us how to make this unforgettable pressure-cooked bean recipe. This side dish for tacos smells and tastes surprisingly rich thanks to sofrito (a sauté of onion, tomato, garlic, and aromatics) as well as the aforementioned flavor-boosters. “The flavors are so delightful and fresh,” one BHG fan says. “This recipe knocked our socks off! [It’s] definitely going on the ‘my husband LOVED this’ list.”

Lime Chicken Tortilla Soup

If your taco dinner falls on a weeknight, making tacos and a chicken soup recipe from scratch can sound like a tall order. But BHG home cooks confirm that this tortilla soup is “simple, fast and tasty.” With leftover or rotisserie chicken, this side dish for tacos can be ready to spoon in just 30 minutes. Its brothy base and vegetable-rich nature makes this light enough to enjoy alongside a taco (or three).

Edamame Quinoa Salad

Asking for just 6 ingredients and 30 minutes of your time, this easy quinoa recipe can act as both a starch and a vegetable side dish for tacos. Edamame and corn make each bite feel substantial, while fresh tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice brighten things up.

Test Kitchen Tip: Make a double batch and enjoy leftover Edamame Quinoa Salad topped with grilled chicken, shrimp, steak or a couple fried eggs to make it a meal.

Avocado-Poblano Salsa

If you’re struggling to choose between guacamole or salsa, but don’t want to go to the effort of whipping up two separate recipes, add this colorful recipe to your lineup of side dishes for tacos. Roasted and fresh bell peppers marry with chopped tomato, red onion, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice for a smoky and spectacular “sals-amole.” Enjoy it as a garnish for tacos or scoop it up with tortilla chips.

Guacamole-Stuffed Marinated Mushrooms

These stuffed mushrooms might look pretty similar to other filled fungi recipes. They have an incognito sassy secret, though, that makes this one of our best make-ahead side dish recipes for tacos. Marinate each cap in a spice-spiked vinaigrette for 2 to 8 hours to amp up the flavor and get a head start on the side/snack. After that, just stuff the mushrooms with guacamole, and top with crunchy lime juice-tossed jicama sticks.

Tetelas

Make it a street food double feature. "In Oaxaca, tetelas are sold by sidewalk vendors, at food stands, and even in restaurants," says recipe developer Mely Martinez. The golden-brown corn masa exterior of the triangle-shape traditional Mexican recipe is hiding a savory secret: black bean mash. Enjoy both the Tetelas and your tacos with crumbled queso fresco cheese, Mexican crema, and salsa—indoors or out.

Chunky Homemade Salsa

We're firm believers that it's worth the time and effort to make salsa from scratch (rather than grabbing a shelf-stable jar or refrigerated tub at the supermarket). And this recipe is overflowing with tips for how to recreate a dip that’s reminiscent of the kind you’ve scooped up at restaurants. Featuring fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and a punch of vinegar, you can opt to add cilantro or parsley, depending on your preference. We’ll let you in on a secret: This side dish for tacos is surprisingly simple to make; it’s just a matter of having enough patience to allow the zippy dip to simmer for 45 minutes.

Tomato Salad with Guajillo Chile Dressing

Let your creative side shine while assembling this light yet impactful side dish for tacos. We designed the platter to be reminiscent of the red, white, and green Mexican flag, however, there is no wrong way to serve this fresh tomato salad—as long as you make enough for everyone to go back for seconds. Featuring a bounty of juicy tomatoes, smoky charred green onions, salty queso fresco cheese, and a just-spicy-enough vinaigrette, this tomato salad is an especially fantastic partner for tacos that are stuffed with rich proteins, such as al pastor, fried shrimp, or steak.

Tex-Mex Cheese Dip

No taco night is complete without something reminiscent of queso, if you ask us. But we couldn’t just stop at cheese product plus diced tomatoes with green chiles. For this spiffed-up yet still easy hot dip, we melt down four dreamy, creamy products (sour cream, cream cheese, mayo, and shredded cheese), then stir in even more south of the border flavor via taco seasoning, black beans, corn, and jalapeños.

Test Kitchen Tip: This stovetop dip recipe is a cinch to keep warm all meal long. Transfer it to a small slow cooker, and set it to “Keep Warm,” stirring occasionally, for up to 2 hours.

Mexican Nachos

Whether you consider this nacho recipe an appetizer or a side dish for tacos, you’ll consider it an absolute must as part of your next fiesta-style menu. The “recipe” is actually more like a formula that you can customize so each time you build a batch, you can create something new. On a bed of tortilla chips, layer homemade or store-bought refried beans, shreds of your favorite protein, a generous drizzle of mole sauce (quick or Colorado), and your choice of shredded or crumbled cheese. And just wait until you see our ideas for a topping buffet!

Grilled Strawberry Salsa Fresca

If you like your tacos to be nearly as spicy as the chicken wings on Hot Ones, it’s a wise idea to serve something sweet as a side dish for tacos. This ruby-red accent swaps fresh strawberries for the tomatoes, and the results are a sweet surprise. When we were perfecting this fruit salsa, we were delighted by how nicely the berries played with jalapeños, onion, and garlic, and we swooned over how the natural sweetness of the fruit can help tame the fire served by anything else on the menu.

Elote Asado (Grilled Corn Cob Bites with Chile and Lime)

If you already have your grill or grill pan fired up to toast the tortillas and cook your taco protein, multitask and pull together this classic side dish for tacos. In case you missed it, “elote” means “corn cob” in Spanish. The term also refers to a popular Mexican street food recipe made with (you guessed it!) grilled corn on the cob that’s brushed with a mayo cream sauce, dusted with chili powder and crumbled cheese, and finished with lime juice. (Esquites is essentially the same formula deconstructed; the corn is sliced off the cob and served in a cup or bowl with similar toppings.) 

Zesty Baked Flour Tortilla Chips

Forego the store-bought chips and crisp up your own. The entire recipe takes a mere 18 minutes, and the easy side dish for tacos allows you to customize the seasoning. Start with a stack of flour tortillas, cut them into wedges, then brush them lightly with oil. Just before popping the chips into the oven, sprinkle them with your desired spices. Our original recommendation involves chili powder, dried oregano, and lime zest. Since then, we’ve grown to adore Tajín, Taco Seasoning, and our Spicy Southwestern Rub.